Canadiens coach Alex Burrows says players joked about his Canucks Ring of Honour photo

Former Vancouver Canucks forward Alex Burrows has made a pretty seamless transition into the coaching world with the Montreal Canadiens.

The longtime NHL agitator, who made headlines during his Canucks tenure for “slaying the dragon” against the Chicago Blackhawks in 2011 and for his feud with referee Stéphane Auger, has served as a coach in the Canadiens organization since retiring as a player in 2018.

In December 2019, a little over a year after his retirement, the Canucks inducted Burrows into their Ring of Honour. His name is prominently displayed next to a large image of himself up in the stratosphere of Rogers Arena in Vancouver.

The Canadiens skated at Rogers Arena on Thursday morning ahead of their game against the Canucks later that day. In his conversation with the Vancouver media after the skate, Burrows said some of the Montreal players were taking good-natured jabs at his massive presence in their opponent’s barn.

“They were for sure,” Burrows said. “Every time I stood in that corner, they were like, ‘You’re doing that on purpose.’ They were giving it to me. I can take it.

“I think I’ve got a good relationship with them and they were cracking jokes out there.”

Of course, Burrows more than earned his spot in Vancouver’s Ring of Honour over parts of 12 seasons with the Canucks, collecting 193 goals and 384 points over parts of 12 seasons with the team.

Where Burrows truly made his mark with the Canucks was in the playoffs. He played an integral role in the team’s run to the 2011 Stanley Cup Final, racking up nine goals and 17 points in 25 postseason contests.

The Canucks sent Burrows to the Ottawa Senators at the 2017 trade deadline. After being bought out by the Senators in 2018, Burrows joined the AHL’s Laval Rocket as an assistant coach ahead of the 2018-19 season. The Canadiens subsequently promoted Burrows to their NHL bench as an assistant coach midway through the 2020-21 season; he served in that capacity during Montreal’s run to the 2021 Stanley Cup Final.

With Burrows and Martin St. Louis at the helm, the Canadiens are slated to take on the Canucks in Vancouver on Thursday at 7:00 p.m. PT.